NBA Star Kawhi Leonard Donates One Million Backpacks To Underserved Children In Los Angeles

“Going to the NBA, this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to give back to my community,” said Leonard.

NBA star Kawhi Leonard’s leadership led the Toronto Raptors to their first championship title, and now the 28-year-old is on a mission to be just as impactful off of the court. According to the Huffington Post, Leonard teamed up with the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Baby2Baby and the L.A. Clippers Foundation to donate one million backpacks to children from low-income families just in time for the back-to-school season.

Through the initiative, students who attend school in the Los Angeles, Inglewood, and Moreno Valley school districts will all receive free backpacks in an effort to help alleviate financial burdens for families who are struggling to make ends meet. For the two-time NBA Finals MVP, this project is personal. Growing up in the L.A. area he witnessed first-hand how financial setbacks can have a ravaging impact on families and he wanted to utilize the backpack initiative as an avenue to give back to his hometown. “Going to the NBA, this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to give back to my community,” he said while announcing the initiative at his former elementary school in Moreno Valley. “That’s why I’m so happy to be back home. I’m able to be hands-on in the community where I grew up and where it started for me.”

The leadership team at Baby2Baby—which provides youngsters living in poverty with basic necessities—are humbled by Leonard’s generous contribution. “We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard for this record-breaking donation to every student in Los Angeles Unified School District and beyond,” the organization’s presidents Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof said in a statement. “For many of these children who are homeless or in foster care, backpacks not only hold their school books and homework, but also all of their personal belongings. The Clippers’ donation will make these children feel the pride they deserve and give them the confidence they need to start the school year off on the right foot.” Over the past eight years, the organization has donated over 70 million items to children who have been placed in foster care, homeless shelters, hospitals and domestic violence programs.

This isn’t the first philanthropic initiative that Leonard has been a part of. In the past, he’s hosted youth basketball camps and he also donated a car to an organization focused on children with special needs so they would be able to travel back and forth to their doctor’s appointments and go on trips.

2. Michael Eric Dyson

🗣 REMEMBER WHO/WHAT THE ENEMY IS❗️Dr. Michael Eric Dyson hit the nail on the head. Let the plan unveil from the Jay Z & NFL partnership before picking sides & pitting him & Colin Kaepernick against each other. The strategies can be different as long as the goal remains the same. pic.twitter.com/jvNqIXbtiL

6. New York Giants Running Back Saquon Barkley

7. Rapper Freddie Gibbs

Continue reading Beyond Kneeling? Celebrities Who Support Jay-Z Partnering With The NFL

Beyond Kneeling? Celebrities Who Support Jay-Z Partnering With The NFL

Jay-Z has been in a media firestorm ever since the rapper announced his new business partnership with the NFL. The Brooklyn native met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was accused of actively working to prevent Colin Kaepernick from being in the NFL, and said he thought people should move beyond kneeling toward "actionable items." Now it is being reported that the rapper will be part owner of an NFL team.
Several people have blasted Jay-Z like Shaun King, Jemele Hill and Carolinas Panthers Safety Eric Reid, who is still kneeling. However, there are some folks who still have Jay's back.
See Also: Michael Moore Begs Michelle Obama To Run For President: 'She's The One Person Who Could Crush Trump'
In case you missed it, TMZ reported that "Sources connected to Jay and with direct knowledge tell us ... Jay is going to have a 'significant ownership interest' in an NFL team. As for which team ... we're not being told, but we are told 'it is going to happen in the near future.'"
Allegedly, he has wanted to become a part-owner "because he's a huge fan, already has a sports business and wants to continue to be a change agent for the NFL."
However, the site also claims he cannot manage players, "Jay is not an NFL agent and does not take part in the operations of the NFL players in Roc Nation."
Reid blasted the rapper and the move.
“Jay-Z claimed to be a supporter of Colin, wore his jersey, told people not to perform at the Super Bowl because of the treatment the NFL did to Colin," Reid said. "And now he’s going to be a part-owner ... It’s kind of despicable."
https://twitter.com/josephperson/status/1162553068187262978
He continued: "He's capitalized on this situation. Nobody to my knowledge talked about social justice before Colin started protesting. That was not a topic of the NFL off the field. For Jay-Z to come in and partner to address social justice, do it behind Colin's back, get paid to do it ... I don't have words."
https://twitter.com/KeepBlitzin/status/1162556518727913472
On Wednesday, Kaepernick marked the third year of his kneeling protest during the playing of the national anthem with a social media post of his own saying in no uncertain terms that he would continue “to work and stand with the people in our fight for liberation, despite those who are trying to erase the movement!"
See the post below:
https://twitter.com/Kaepernick7/status/1161758390999298049
Scroll down to see some of Jay-Z's supporters below.